“Return to Stalinism”: lawyer Kravets on NABU's pressure on the bar, wiretapping and reports to foreigners

Rostislav Kravets, a well-known lawyer and attorney, said in a comment to UNN that the anti-corruption bodies of Ukraine – in particular, NABU and SAPO – are exerting systematic pressure on the legal profession, violating human rights and acting according to the methods of the totalitarian regime.

According to him, the legal profession today is the last institution that really protects the rights of citizens, while the anti-corruption bloc has turned into an instrument of repression and external influence, with parallel justice.

One of the main threats he called the initiatives that are being promoted through the NABU-loyal media - the creation of a special register of "verified" lawyers, restricting access to cases before the вручення підозри, as well as deprivation of a lawyer's certificate without a court decision.

It sounds like nonsense and a return to 1937. To the times when lawyers in political cases were simply removed from the profession. Today, the so-called activists with dubious education are trying to implement the same methods. And behind all this, obviously, are our "partners" who see the legal profession as a threat to their plans to destroy Ukraine's independence  

He also mentioned cases of illegal wiretapping of lawyers in NABU cases. In particular, about installation of eavesdropping equipment in the offices of defenders who worked in the cases of Vsevolod Kniaziev and in the story that is conditionally called "NABUgate".   

This is a direct violation of attorney-client privilege and the Constitution of Ukraine. But none of the law enforcement officers or judges has yet been held accountable for this 

Kravets also commented on NABU's attempts to justify failures in high-profile cases by referring to the participation of lawyers in the processes.

This is an attempt to shift their own unprofessionalism to lawyers. We remember Khodnytsky's "aquarium tapes", and information leaks, and how cases drag on for years. They come with searches after five years, they try to hand over suspicion after seven, and as a result, the cases turn out to be empty. This proves once again: these bodies are ineffective. They should be disbanded

The lawyer also drew attention to the lack of punishment in scandalous cases within the anti-corruption structures themselves — in particular, the story with crypto-wallets and the case of ex-deputy director of NABU Gizo Uglava. 

We are dealing with a parallel vertical of power that is not subordinate to the state, but reports to foreigners. Until there is a political decision, none of them will be held accountable 

In the context of possible changes in US foreign policy, in particular the rhetoric of Donald Trump, Kravets expressed hope for a review of the financing of the anti-corruption system in Ukraine.

Today, the whole structure lives on external aid. If it is reduced, these bodies should be the first to be eliminated. Billions are spent on nothing, the result is zero 

NABU is already near Bankova

In parallel with criticism from the legal community, the anti-corruption vertical is increasingly focusing on the inner circle of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It became known the other day about a new suspicion of the former deputy head of the Office of the President, Andriy Smyrnov.

He is accused of illegal enrichment, legalization of income and receiving illegal benefits. Activists from the NABU orbit, meanwhile, spread messages that the participants in the case are people from Volodymyr Zelenskyy's close circle — they mentioned a "family friend from Kryvyi Rih", "Zelenskyy's teacher's daughter" and the management of an Italian company to which the president's villa in Forte dei Marmi is allegedly registered.

These events fit into the general trend: in recent years, NABU, SAPO and the High Anti-Corruption Court have formed a separate anti-corruption bloc with an extremely high level of autonomy. The actual combination of investigative, prosecutorial and judicial functions allows them not only to conduct investigations, but also to form a political agenda, parallel justice.

In last year's international audit of NABU's activities, it was directly recommended to intensify investigations into representatives of the Office of the President. It was emphasized then that such cases did not exist at the time of the report, and that NABU's jurisdiction should be expanded in this direction.    

Political tension before the elections

Analysts warn: in the context of the discussion of the elections of the President of Ukraine and the possible loss of US support, the anti-corruption system may become an instrument of political pressure. Statements by activists close to the anti-corruption environment about the "minefield" around the current President only confirm this.

All this — from the attack on the legal profession to the focus on the leadership of the state — indicates the transformation of the anti-corruption infrastructure into a political player capable of influencing the future of the country. Without clear checks and balances, such a system not only devalues justice, but also threatens political instability in a critical period for Ukraine.